"Hey, what gives!" Saliza complained after casting her first spell. She tried creating a fireball, but the biggest one she could make was only the size of a golf ball.
"My bad, I forgot to mention that at your level, the maximum mana you can charge up a spell with is two, and continuous spells can only use up one mana per second. Leveling up increases those limit."
"Then how are we supposed to fight monsters if our spells have no firepower?" Zeigel asked.
"Who said you need spells to fight?"
Zeigel's eyes widened in panic.
No,no,no,no,no! I have to fight monsters without spells? How am I supposed to do that? Look at me! Do I look like I'm capable of fighting?
As a result of spending most of his time gaming or studying and skipping gym class, Zeigel had a scrawny physique.
There's gotta be something I can use to fight.
Zeigel began experimenting, creating as many elements he could think of to see if he could use it to fight. His fires were too small to cause any serious harm, the electricity he could generate would only cause a minor shock, and he could only create rocks or metal the size of his palm.
What else? What else? I got it! Maybe I can create reactive metals and use them as explosives.
He began creating metals in his hand for about a minute before kneeling down in defeat.
I can only create iron. I'm so screwed.
"Why so glum Zeigel?" Saliza asked.
"I-"
"Oh! I know!" Saliza took up a fighting stance. "Let's have a quick spar! I bet that'll cheer you up!"
"Not interested." Zeigel dismissed her and resumed his sulking.
"Actually, I think a spar would be good." Said Reizo.
"What! I don't want to spar!"
"You're a vanguard now and you're shying away from a simple spar?"
"I-I, uh, well you see, I just don't want anyone to get hurt that's all." Zeigel sheepishly answered.
"I'm fast enough to stop any dangerous blows from connecting, and I can heal any of your injuries. You two will be fine."
"Yeah! Let's spar already!" Saliza shouted.
Why are you constantly putting my life in danger Saliza?
"Alright fine. I'll spar with her."
I'll just take one hit and fall over. Hopefully it'll be enough for these two assholes to stop pestering me.
"Here I come!"
Zeigel braced himself as Saliza dashed towards him. She surrounded her leg in small flames and kicked Zeigel in the chest with all her might. His face twisted in agony as he was sent flying backwards.
WHAT THE FUCK SALIZA! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?
Her kick was way stronger than he expected and had shattered his ribs and damaged his lungs.
Reizo caught him before he hit the ground and immediately began healing him. He wanted to curse at Saliza for not holding back on the spar, but her kick had left him winded.
OH GOD! HELP! I CAN'T BREATHE!
Zeigel was frantically grasping for air. He couldn't breathe for a few seconds, causing him to panic internally as he wondered if he was going to die. Once his lungs healed and he could breathe normally, he felt a wave of relief wash over him and began to calm down.
It took about thirty seconds for Reizo to finish healing him, and throughout those thirty seconds, Reizo had been glaring at him. He was less than pleased after watching Zeigel give up before the spar even started.
"You two will spar again." Reizo announced. He turned to Zeigel and gave him a stern look. "This time, if you don't land even a single hit on her, I'll kick you out of the vanguards."
Huh? What the hell! Why?
Zeigel wanted to complain that it wouldn't be fair if he got kicked out just for losing a spar, but the stern look Reizo gave him made him silent. He nervously gulped and focused his attention on Saliza.
Damn it all, Why is this happening to me? I don't wanna get hit that hard again! How does Saliza even have that much power in her kicks anyways? I doubt simply having strong legs would be enough to do what she did.
At that moment, he realised that he had forgotten to do something important before that start of the spar.
I forgot about my stats! Saliza must've placed all her points into ATK! That bastard! She knew her attacks are going to hit hard and she still didn't bother holding back at all!
Saliza who was unaware about Reizo's threats cheerfully bounced about as she waited for Zeigel to get ready.
"No hard feelings if I win again!" She laughed.
Why do you look so happy? You don't even feel bad that you nearly killed me with that kick? Do you even know the situation you're putting me in now? Why are you constantly causing me problems! You god damned piece of shit!
This was the second time her actions nearly costed him his life. Not only that, but because of her, he was now at risk of being kicked out of the vanguards.
Any nervousness he had was now gone. He even felt thankful that Reizo forced them to spar again and was determined to do a little more than just 'land a single hit'.
He summoned his screen and added a point to each of his stats.
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"Come on!" He growled.
"That's the spirit!"
Saliza dashed towards him again, intent on doing the same move that sent Zeigel flying earlier.
Despite knowing what Saliza's was planning to do, Zeigel didn't move from his spot. He widened his stance and braced himself as Saliza drew closer.
Once again, Saliza surrounded her leg in small flames and kicked Zeigel in the chest.
You nearly ended my life earlier with that kick, and you're doing it again? What is wrong with you!
That single point in DEF allowed Zeigel to withstand the kick much better. This time, he was only pushed back a little while sustaining only a couple cracked ribs.
With his increased SPD, Zeigel was fast enough to grab ahold of Saliza's leg before she could get away.
"I'm getting really sick of your shit." He snarled. Using a spell, he began burning Saliza's leg while keeping a firm grip on it. His increased ATK allowed the small flames he generated to sear through her skin and cook her flesh.
"LET GO! LET GO!" She cried out in pain while trying to break free from Zeigel's clutch. Even after she lost her balance and fell, Zeigel didn't let go.
"STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!" She kept kicking Zeigel's chest as hard as she could, but even when he felt his ribs fracture, Zeigel wouldn't let go. With each kick, he would only grit his teeth and tighten his grip.
What's wrong? We're just having a fun little spar, just like you wanted!
"That's enough!" Reizo pulled the two apart and immediately began healing Saliza's leg.
"Don't you think you went a little too far?" Reizo scolded.
What? Not satisfied? I'll gladly land another hit if you want.
"Don't blame me. I'm just following your orders."
"How could you..." Saliza sobbed. She slid her hand under her mask to wipe away tears. "That was too much..."
"Don't be such a baby." Zeigel said in an unapologetic tone. "You're a vanguard now so start getting used to pain."
That makes us even now.
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"Welcome to Vangourmet! What can I get for you?" The chef of the restaurant greeted his first customer of the day. "Oh? Reizo! It's been awhile! You look... more tired than usual, somehow. What happened?"
Reizo pointed at his two trainees behind him. They were standing far apart from each other, still worked up about what happened earlier.
"These two had a spar, and it didn't go well." Reizo sighed.
"He tried to torture me!"
"That's what you get for nearly ending my life!"
"But you didn't die!"
"You're also still alive! So don't complain bitch!"
"Hmph!"
Reizo let out another sigh, contemplating if he had really made a mistake.
"I was hoping you could whip up something good to cheer them up. Hopefully it'll put them in a good enough mood to talk it out."
"Something to cheer them up eh?" The chef pondered for a moment. "I've got just the thing! Take a seat and I'll have it ready in a sec."
Reizo nodded and dragged his two bickering trainees to a table.
"Can you two settle down, please." Reizo begged.
"Only after he apologizes!"
"That's my line asshole!"
Reizo let out a long sigh. He prayed that whatever the chef was cooking up would somehow be enough to calm them both down.
It wasn't long before the chef arrived at their table carrying a tray with three bowls.
"This is an off-the-menu special I'm making just for today. Enjoy!"
"Is this what I think it is?" Reizo felt a sense of nostalgia as he stared at the bowl.
"That's right. It's the stew of life."
"Is it good?" Zeigel asked. He wanted to make sure that the stew doesn't taste nearly as bad as the false steak.
Barill simply smiled at him. "Find out for yourself."
Zeigel eyed the stew suspiciously, still hesitant to take a bite. His rumbling stomach made him give in and take a small sip of the stew.
"Oh wow, that's pretty good." He said as he ate more mouthfuls of the stew. "Nice and spicy too."
Saliza carefully lifted the bottom of her mask and poured the stew into her mouth. "This is really good!"
"Glad you two like it!" The chef beamed.
"Why isn't this on the menu?" Zeigel asked. "People would definitely buy this."
"Well you see, the main thing that gives the stew its flavour is a special spice of my own recipe. The spice goes bad two days after I make it and the ingredients aren't cheap."
"There's also a small side effect for vanguards with a low DEF stat, so he can't serve it to normal people." Reizo added.
Zeigel dropped his spoon and sprang up from his seat as soon as heard the word 'side effect'.
"Did you poison me?" He accused the chef.
"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Just enjoy your meal." The chef gently pushed him back down and handed him his spoon while receiving a suspicious look from Zeigel.
"I've eaten this stew before when my level was still low. I can guarantee that it's safe to eat." Said Reizo.
"If you say so." Zeigel hesitantly ate another mouthful of stew. "But if I get poisoned, I'm blaming you for it."
"You're welcome for the free food." Reizo muttered under his breath.
Five minutes later, everyone was finished with their meal and the two trainees were in a better mood.
"So, can we talk about what happened earlier?" Reizo asked.
"Yes, of course." Zeigel turned to Saliza and cleared his throat. "Apologize or I'll kick your ass."
Saliza responded by flinging her bowl at him. Reizo quickly grabbed the bowl mid air and placed it back on the table.
"Can you two stop being so immature and discuss this like civilized people." Reizo sighed.
"It's his fault."
"It's her fault."
"You're both at fault, so why don't the two of you apologize to each other."
The two glared stared at each other, still believing that they weren't in the wrong and left an awkward silence in the room.
"I didn't do anything wrong though." Zeigel said, breaking the silence.
"Is that what you think?" Reizo raised an eyebrow.
"I only burned her leg because she shattered my ribs."
"The only reason why that happened was because you let it happen. You left yourself wide open and you didn't bother blocking or dodging. Not only that, but you forgot to use your stat points."
"Ya hear that Zeigel? It's all your fault." Saliza laughed.
"And you," Reizo turned to Saliza. "You could've shown a little more concern after kicking him. If vanguards didn't have to ability to heal then he would've been dead by now."
"Ya hear that Saliva," Zeigel said, mimicking her tone. "Reizo thinks you're an ass."
"Not what I said..." Reizo sighed.
"You two will be working together for as long as I'm your trainer, so stop trying to make enemies out of each other. Learn to forgive and forget or you'll make your time as my trainees a painful one for all of us."
"Fine," Saliza sighed. "Sorry for kicking you Zeigel."
"Not good enough. Apologize harder." Zeigel said with his arms folded. He noticed Reizo glaring at him.
"J-Just kidding." He awkwardly laughed, glancing at Reizo to check if he was still glaring at him. "Sorry for burning your leg and all."
"Good." Reizo stood up from his seat. "Now that we've resolved all that, we can start your first mission. Go to the headquarters and wait for me there."
"Yeah! Mission time!" Saliza excitedly sprinted out of the restaurant.
"Whoopee." Zeigel said unenthusiastically while dragging himself out.
Once the two left, Reizo plopped back down to his seat and rested his head in his hands.
"I really have my work cut out for me." He groaned.
"Oh right," He took out his wallet. "How much do I owe you Barill?"
"It's free of charge my friend." Barill smiled. "It's the least I can do to thank you for all your hard work."
----------------------------------------
"Our first mission! Aren't you excited Zeigel?"
Zeigel remained silent while laying on a sofa with a sour look on his face.
"What's wrong? Are you still mad at me? I apologized already."
Zeigel continued to stay silent, not even sparing her a glance.
"Geez, you're so grouchy. You're name should be Zeigrouch"
Zeigel still remained silent, but his face soured even more from the comment.
"Welp, I guess there's only one way left to cheer you up."
Zeigel finally turned around and saw Saliza approaching him with open arms.
"Don't touch me!" Zeigel hissed as he backed away from her.
"Bring it in!" She threw herself onto the sofa.
"I don't want a hug!" Zeigel leapt off the sofa up before she could grab him.
"It'll make you feel better!" She got up and began chasing him around the lobby.
"Stay away from me!"
Reizo entered the lobby with a bag and sighed as he watched the two noisily run around.
The receptionist was having a blast watching the two. He enjoyed having something to entertain him during his boring shift.
"Ah, Reizo." The receptionist stopped his laughter and did his best to compose himself. "How can I help you?"
"Show me all the available rank 1 missions."
The receptionist pulled out a folder and laid out its contents on the desk. There were five different forms, some filled out by civilians while the rest were by Meitre.
"I'll take them all."
The receptionist took out a folder with Reizo's name and details on it and placed the forms inside it.
Reizo grabbed his two trainees who were still running around the lobby and dragged them to the forest.